Massaro leaves NBC

Mike Massaro

NBC Sports' Mike Massaro announced on his Facebook page that he would not return to NBC in 2017:

"With a new year comes new challenges…. Since 1996, Broadcasting NASCAR Races, whether it be radio or TV, has been my life. I fear, however, 2016 may have been my final season. With great sadness I concluded recently, for a wide ranging variety of reasons, my role with NBC Sports was not a good fit and consequently will not return this coming season. My contract will officially expire at midnight tonight. It was a gut wrenching decision. Not one I 'wanted' to make but felt necessary.

"The reasoning will remain personal. The sadness however is real. Not only because I'm walking away from my dream job, that I worked incredibly hard to achieve (remember the helipads? LOL) but because I can't stand the thought of drifting from a group who've become nothing short of family. Over the course of 20 seasons and over 500 races, relationships have grown. Television pros, drivers, crew chiefs, crew members, PR reps and fellow media members have all become a very real part of my life. I hope one day to see all of you again, but realize there are no guarantees and although I'm exploring other opportunities in the sport, there's a legitimate chance that might not happen."